Morioka weather in December

In December, Morioka sees average daytime highs of 2°C and overnight lows near -6°C, with 77 mm of precipitation across 13.2 wet days and about 9.2 hours of daylight. It is the 10th-warmest and 10th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 4°C in the first days to -0°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 11% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 9 h 24 min at the start of December to 9 h 12 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Morioka's 5th-clearest and 4th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Morioka's year-round climate.

Daytime high: 2°; 10th warmest
Overnight low: -6°; 3rd coldest
Precipitation: 77 mm; 13.2 wet days
Daylight: 9 h 12 min; 6:55 AM – 4:08 PM
Cloud cover: 70%; 5th clearest
Wind: 10 km/h; 4th windiest
Solar energy: 1.9 kWh/m²
Travel score: 0.0; out of 10

Morioka is city in Iwate Prefecture, Japan.

Density: 328/km²; people per km²
Founded: 1889

Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.

← November Morioka year-round climate January →Best places to visit in December

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

Temperature in December

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs ease over the month, from about 4°C in the first days to -0°C by the end.

A typical December day in Morioka reaches about 2°C in the afternoon and slips back to -6°C overnight — a 7°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between -3°C and 6°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 6°C cooler than November and about 3°C warmer than January.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31
Avg high (°C)	4	4	4	4	3	3	3	3	2	2	2	2	2	2	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Avg low (°C)	-3	-3	-3	-3	-3	-4	-4	-4	-4	-5	-5	-5	-5	-5	-6	-6	-6	-6	-6	-6	-7	-7	-7	-7	-7	-7	-7	-7	-8	-8	-8

	Avg high (°C)	Avg low (°C)
1	4	-3
2	4	-3
3	4	-3
4	4	-3
5	3	-3
6	3	-4
7	3	-4
8	3	-4
9	2	-4
10	2	-5
11	2	-5
12	2	-5
13	2	-5
14	2	-5
15	1	-6
16	1	-6
17	1	-6
18	1	-6
19	1	-6
20	1	-6
21	1	-7
22	1	-7
23	0	-7
24	0	-7
25	0	-7
26	0	-7
27	0	-7
28	0	-7
29	0	-8
30	0	-8
31	0	-8

How December really feels in Morioka

Once humidity and wind are folded in, December averages 0 days that feel above 32°C and 31 that feel at or below 0°C — the comfort signal a plain temperature reading hides.

Days feeling ≥ 32°C

heat index over the day's high

Days feeling ≤ 0°C

17 feel bitter (≤ -10°C)

The story in December is cold — wind chill drags the overnight "feels like" below the raw low.

Morioka weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 10th-warmest and 10th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

Month	High / Low (°C)	Rainfall (mm)	Wet days	Snow days	Daylight (hours)	Travel score
Jan	-1° / -9°	64	11.4	14.5	9.5	0.0
Feb	-0° / -9°	60	11.1	12.8	10.4	0.0
Mar	4° / -5°	93	14.7	12.6	11.7	0.1
Apr	11° / 2°	92	14	4.3	13	2.3
May	17° / 8°	94	12.8	0.3	14.2	4.8
Jun	20° / 13°	101	12.3	0	14.8	5.6
Jul	24° / 17°	148	16.3	0	14.5	5.6
Aug	25° / 18°	137	14.6	0	13.6	5.9
Sep	21° / 14°	137	12.4	0	12.3	5.8
Oct	15° / 6°	110	11.4	0.2	10.9	4.3
Nov	8° / 0°	78	13	4.3	9.8	1.3
Dec	2° / -6°	77	13.2	13.3	9.2	0.0

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 11% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 21% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 69%.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31
Clearer (%)	35	35	34	34	34	34	33	33	32	32	32	32	32	31	31	31	31	31	30	30	30	30	30	30	30	30	30	31	31	30	30
Cloudier (%)	65	65	66	66	66	66	67	67	68	68	68	68	68	69	69	69	69	69	70	70	70	70	70	70	70	70	70	69	69	70	70

	Clearer (%)	Cloudier (%)
1	35	65
2	35	65
3	34	66
4	34	66
5	34	66
6	34	66
7	33	67
8	33	67
9	32	68
10	32	68
11	32	68
12	32	68
13	32	68
14	31	69
15	31	69
16	31	69
17	31	69
18	31	69
19	30	70
20	30	70
21	30	70
22	30	70
23	30	70
24	30	70
25	30	70
26	30	70
27	30	70
28	31	69
29	31	69
30	30	70
31	30	70

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Morioka gets around 77 mm of rain and snow over 13.2 wet days in December. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable precipitation averages around 43% and peaks near 46% on the wettest days, and about 13 days bring snow. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31
Rain chance (%)	46	46	46	46	46	46	45	45	45	45	44	44	43	43	43	42	42	42	42	41	41	41	41	40	40	40	40	39	39	39	38
Snow chance (%)	32	33	35	36	37	38	39	39	40	41	41	42	42	43	43	44	44	45	45	46	46	46	46	46	47	47	47	47	47	47	47

	Rain chance (%)	Snow chance (%)
1	46	32
2	46	33
3	46	35
4	46	36
5	46	37
6	46	38
7	45	39
8	45	39
9	45	40
10	45	41
11	44	41
12	44	42
13	43	42
14	43	43
15	43	43
16	42	44
17	42	44
18	42	45
19	42	45
20	41	46
21	41	46
22	41	46
23	41	46
24	40	46
25	40	47
26	40	47
27	40	47
28	39	47
29	39	47
30	39	47
31	38	47

Humidity in December

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Most of December feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.

By dew point, December lands in the dry band about 100% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31
Dry (%)	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100

	Dry (%)
1	100
2	100
3	100
4	100
5	100
6	100
7	100
8	100
9	100
10	100
11	100
12	100
13	100
14	100
15	100
16	100
17	100
18	100
19	100
20	100
21	100
22	100
23	100
24	100
25	100
26	100
27	100
28	100
29	100
30	100
31	100

Wind in December

Winds average 10 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 10 km/h on the calmest days to 10 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31
Wind speed (km/h)	10	10	10	10	10	10	10	10	10	10	10	10	10	10	10	10	10	10	10	10	10	10	10	10	10	10	10	10	10	10	10
Feels	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm

	Wind speed (km/h)	Feels
1	10	calm
2	10	calm
3	10	calm
4	10	calm
5	10	calm
6	10	calm
7	10	calm
8	10	calm
9	10	calm
10	10	calm
11	10	calm
12	10	calm
13	10	calm
14	10	calm
15	10	calm
16	10	calm
17	10	calm
18	10	calm
19	10	calm
20	10	calm
21	10	calm
22	10	calm
23	10	calm
24	10	calm
25	10	calm
26	10	calm
27	10	calm
28	10	calm
29	10	calm
30	10	calm
31	10	calm

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 9 h 24 min at the start of December to 9 h 12 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 12 minutes over December. Sunrise moves from 6:43 AM to 7:02 AM, and sunset from 4:07 PM to 4:15 PM.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31
Daylight (h)	9.4	9.4	9.4	9.3	9.3	9.3	9.3	9.3	9.3	9.3	9.2	9.2	9.2	9.2	9.2	9.2	9.2	9.2	9.2	9.2	9.2	9.2	9.2	9.2	9.2	9.2	9.2	9.2	9.2	9.2	9.2
Sunrise (AM)	6:43	6:44	6:45	6:46	6:47	6:48	6:49	6:50	6:50	6:51	6:52	6:53	6:53	6:54	6:55	6:55	6:56	6:57	6:57	6:58	6:58	6:59	6:59	7:00	7:00	7:00	7:01	7:01	7:01	7:02	7:02
Sunset (PM)	4:07	4:07	4:07	4:07	4:07	4:06	4:06	4:06	4:06	4:07	4:07	4:07	4:07	4:07	4:07	4:08	4:08	4:08	4:09	4:09	4:10	4:10	4:10	4:11	4:12	4:12	4:13	4:13	4:14	4:15	4:15

	Daylight (h)	Sunrise (AM)	Sunset (PM)
1	9.4	6:43	4:07
2	9.4	6:44	4:07
3	9.4	6:45	4:07
4	9.3	6:46	4:07
5	9.3	6:47	4:07
6	9.3	6:48	4:06
7	9.3	6:49	4:06
8	9.3	6:50	4:06
9	9.3	6:50	4:06
10	9.3	6:51	4:07
11	9.2	6:52	4:07
12	9.2	6:53	4:07
13	9.2	6:53	4:07
14	9.2	6:54	4:07
15	9.2	6:55	4:07
16	9.2	6:55	4:08
17	9.2	6:56	4:08
18	9.2	6:57	4:08
19	9.2	6:57	4:09
20	9.2	6:58	4:09
21	9.2	6:58	4:10
22	9.2	6:59	4:10
23	9.2	6:59	4:10
24	9.2	7:00	4:11
25	9.2	7:00	4:12
26	9.2	7:00	4:12
27	9.2	7:01	4:13
28	9.2	7:01	4:13
29	9.2	7:01	4:14
30	9.2	7:02	4:15
31	9.2	7:02	4:15

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 1.9 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.9 kWh/m² to a high of 5.18 kWh/m² in May across the year — December's 1.9 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31
Solar energy (kWh/m²)	1.9	1.9	1.9	1.9	1.9	1.9	1.9	1.9	1.9	1.9	1.9	1.9	1.9	1.9	1.9	1.9	1.9	1.9	1.9	1.9	1.9	2.0	2.0	2.0	2.0	2.0	2.0	2.1	2.1	2.1	2.1
Level	Dim	Dim	Dim	Dim	Dim	Dim	Dim	Dim	Dim	Dim	Dim	Dim	Dim	Dim	Dim	Dim	Dim	Dim	Dim	Dim	Dim	Dim	Dim	Dim	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate

	Solar energy (kWh/m²)	Level
1	1.9	Dim
2	1.9	Dim
3	1.9	Dim
4	1.9	Dim
5	1.9	Dim
6	1.9	Dim
7	1.9	Dim
8	1.9	Dim
9	1.9	Dim
10	1.9	Dim
11	1.9	Dim
12	1.9	Dim
13	1.9	Dim
14	1.9	Dim
15	1.9	Dim
16	1.9	Dim
17	1.9	Dim
18	1.9	Dim
19	1.9	Dim
20	1.9	Dim
21	1.9	Dim
22	2.0	Dim
23	2.0	Dim
24	2.0	Dim
25	2.0	Moderate
26	2.0	Moderate
27	2.0	Moderate
28	2.1	Moderate
29	2.1	Moderate
30	2.1	Moderate
31	2.1	Moderate

Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Morioka?

Our two travel scores rate December for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal).

0.0

Sightseeing

10th-best month of the year

0.0

Beach & pool

8th-best month of the year

December is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Morioka.

What to pack for Morioka in December

From December's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.

In December, Morioka sees daytime highs around 2°C and nights near -6°C. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. Worth having: rain gear. About 13 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain gear

UV index in Morioka in December

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in December peaks around 2. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Morioka peaks around August 19 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near January 1 at about 2 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 8 months of the year.

	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
UV index (midday)	2	3	4	6	8	8	6	9	7	5	2	2
Level	Low	Moderate	Moderate	High	Very high	Very high	High	Very high	Very high	Moderate	Moderate	Low

	UV index (midday)	Level
Jan	2	Low
Feb	3	Moderate
Mar	4	Moderate
Apr	6	High
May	8	Very high
Jun	8	Very high
Jul	6	High
Aug	9	Very high
Sep	7	Very high
Oct	5	Moderate
Nov	2	Moderate
Dec	2	Low

Air quality in Morioka in December

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where December falls, not just the annual average.

Air quality in Morioka is worst in April — around 20 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.1× the cleanest month (December, 9 µg/m³).

Modeled monthly averages (CAMS reanalysis, 2015–2024).

	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
PM2.5 (µg/m³)	11	14	19	20	19	14	12	11	11	12	11	9
Level	Good	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Good	Good	Good	Good	Good

	PM2.5 (µg/m³)	Level
Jan	11	Good
Feb	14	Moderate
Mar	19	Moderate
Apr	20	Moderate
May	19	Moderate
Jun	14	Moderate
Jul	12	Moderate
Aug	11	Good
Sep	11	Good
Oct	12	Good
Nov	11	Good
Dec	9	Good

Location & terrain

Where is Morioka?

Morioka sits at 39.7°N, 141.2°E, 138 m above sea level, in Japan. The nearest listed city is Yahaba, 10 km away.

Topography around Morioka

How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Morioka.

Within 3 km, the terrain around Morioka has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 237 m around an average of 142 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 852 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,987 m.

The land around Morioka is covered by artificial surfaces (66%) and trees (27%) within 3 km, trees (68%) within 16 km, and trees (86%) within 80 km.

3 km

237 m

artificial surfaces 66%

16 km

852 m

trees 68%

80 km

1,987 m

trees 86%

treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater

← November Morioka year-round climate January →Best places to visit in December

December weather nearby: Yahaba 10 km · Takizawa 12 km · Shizukuishi 14 km · Hizume 17 km · Hachimantai 22 km · Semboku 35 km · Hanamaki 35 km · Kitakami 46 km

Japan travel facts

Travel advisory: Level 1; Exercise Normal Precautions
Power plugs: Type A / B; 100 V · 50 / 60 Hz
Prices: ≈ 65% of US; price level, 2025
GDP per capita: $35,951; 2025
Happiness: 6.1 / 10; World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water: 99%; of population, 2024
Homicide rate: 0.2; per 100k, 2023
Road deaths: 3.6; per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group: High; World Bank
English: Very low; EF EPI 446
Religion

Sources: World Bank, US State Department, World Happiness Report, WHO/UNICEF, EF EPI, CIA World Factbook.

Data sources

Temperature, precipitation, cloud, humidity, wind and solar figures are a 1991–2020 climatology for Morioka (39.7°, 141.15°, elevation 138 m), computed from hourly ERA5 reanalysis — contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information. Sun figures are astronomical calculations, not observations. City data © GeoNames, CC BY 4.0. Map outlines from Natural Earth (public domain); interactive map © Google. UV index is derived from CAMS (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service) clear-sky UV data — contains modified Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service information. Monthly air-quality (PM2.5) seasonality is from the CAMS EAC4 reanalysis (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service), scaled to the WHO annual mean where available. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).

	Avg high (°C)	Avg low (°C)
1	4	-3
2	4	-3
3	4	-3
4	4	-3
5	3	-3
6	3	-4
7	3	-4
8	3	-4
9	2	-4
10	2	-5
11	2	-5
12	2	-5
13	2	-5
14	2	-5
15	1	-6
16	1	-6
17	1	-6
18	1	-6
19	1	-6
20	1	-6
21	1	-7
22	1	-7
23	0	-7
24	0	-7
25	0	-7
26	0	-7
27	0	-7
28	0	-7
29	0	-8
30	0	-8
31	0	-8

	Clearer (%)	Cloudier (%)
1	35	65
2	35	65
3	34	66
4	34	66
5	34	66
6	34	66
7	33	67
8	33	67
9	32	68
10	32	68
11	32	68
12	32	68
13	32	68
14	31	69
15	31	69
16	31	69
17	31	69
18	31	69
19	30	70
20	30	70
21	30	70
22	30	70
23	30	70
24	30	70
25	30	70
26	30	70
27	30	70
28	31	69
29	31	69
30	30	70
31	30	70

	Rain chance (%)	Snow chance (%)
1	46	32
2	46	33
3	46	35
4	46	36
5	46	37
6	46	38
7	45	39
8	45	39
9	45	40
10	45	41
11	44	41
12	44	42
13	43	42
14	43	43
15	43	43
16	42	44
17	42	44
18	42	45
19	42	45
20	41	46
21	41	46
22	41	46
23	41	46
24	40	46
25	40	47
26	40	47
27	40	47
28	39	47
29	39	47
30	39	47
31	38	47

	Dry (%)
1	100
2	100
3	100
4	100
5	100
6	100
7	100
8	100
9	100
10	100
11	100
12	100
13	100
14	100
15	100
16	100
17	100
18	100
19	100
20	100
21	100
22	100
23	100
24	100
25	100
26	100
27	100
28	100
29	100
30	100
31	100

	Avg high (°C)	Avg low (°C)
1	4	-3
2	4	-3
3	4	-3
4	4	-3
5	3	-3
6	3	-4
7	3	-4
8	3	-4
9	2	-4
10	2	-5
11	2	-5
12	2	-5
13	2	-5
14	2	-5
15	1	-6
16	1	-6
17	1	-6
18	1	-6
19	1	-6
20	1	-6
21	1	-7
22	1	-7
23	0	-7
24	0	-7
25	0	-7
26	0	-7
27	0	-7
28	0	-7
29	0	-8
30	0	-8
31	0	-8

	Clearer (%)	Cloudier (%)
1	35	65
2	35	65
3	34	66
4	34	66
5	34	66
6	34	66
7	33	67
8	33	67
9	32	68
10	32	68
11	32	68
12	32	68
13	32	68
14	31	69
15	31	69
16	31	69
17	31	69
18	31	69
19	30	70
20	30	70
21	30	70
22	30	70
23	30	70
24	30	70
25	30	70
26	30	70
27	30	70
28	31	69
29	31	69
30	30	70
31	30	70

	Rain chance (%)	Snow chance (%)
1	46	32
2	46	33
3	46	35
4	46	36
5	46	37
6	46	38
7	45	39
8	45	39
9	45	40
10	45	41
11	44	41
12	44	42
13	43	42
14	43	43
15	43	43
16	42	44
17	42	44
18	42	45
19	42	45
20	41	46
21	41	46
22	41	46
23	41	46
24	40	46
25	40	47
26	40	47
27	40	47
28	39	47
29	39	47
30	39	47
31	38	47

	Dry (%)
1	100
2	100
3	100
4	100
5	100
6	100
7	100
8	100
9	100
10	100
11	100
12	100
13	100
14	100
15	100
16	100
17	100
18	100
19	100
20	100
21	100
22	100
23	100
24	100
25	100
26	100
27	100
28	100
29	100
30	100
31	100

	Avg high (°C)	Avg low (°C)
1	4	-3
2	4	-3
3	4	-3
4	4	-3
5	3	-3
6	3	-4
7	3	-4
8	3	-4
9	2	-4
10	2	-5
11	2	-5
12	2	-5
13	2	-5
14	2	-5
15	1	-6
16	1	-6
17	1	-6
18	1	-6
19	1	-6
20	1	-6
21	1	-7
22	1	-7
23	0	-7
24	0	-7
25	0	-7
26	0	-7
27	0	-7
28	0	-7
29	0	-8
30	0	-8
31	0	-8

	Clearer (%)	Cloudier (%)
1	35	65
2	35	65
3	34	66
4	34	66
5	34	66
6	34	66
7	33	67
8	33	67
9	32	68
10	32	68
11	32	68
12	32	68
13	32	68
14	31	69
15	31	69
16	31	69
17	31	69
18	31	69
19	30	70
20	30	70
21	30	70
22	30	70
23	30	70
24	30	70
25	30	70
26	30	70
27	30	70
28	31	69
29	31	69
30	30	70
31	30	70

	Rain chance (%)	Snow chance (%)
1	46	32
2	46	33
3	46	35
4	46	36
5	46	37
6	46	38
7	45	39
8	45	39
9	45	40
10	45	41
11	44	41
12	44	42
13	43	42
14	43	43
15	43	43
16	42	44
17	42	44
18	42	45
19	42	45
20	41	46
21	41	46
22	41	46
23	41	46
24	40	46
25	40	47
26	40	47
27	40	47
28	39	47
29	39	47
30	39	47
31	38	47

	Dry (%)
1	100
2	100
3	100
4	100
5	100
6	100
7	100
8	100
9	100
10	100
11	100
12	100
13	100
14	100
15	100
16	100
17	100
18	100
19	100
20	100
21	100
22	100
23	100
24	100
25	100
26	100
27	100
28	100
29	100
30	100
31	100